Water and air relief valve



W- D. CASHIN ET AL WATER AND AIR RELEIF VALVE Filed Aug. 21, .1924

Patented Oct. 4, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT o-F IcE.

WILLIAM n. CASHIN, or'wns'r noXnuRY, nn MAX 1?. MILLER, or WABAmMAsSA- onusn'rrs, ASSIGNORS "r w. n. CASHIN 00.; or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- ?ORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WATER AND'AIR RELIEF VALVE.

Application filed August 21, 1924. Serial N0. 733,272.

This invention relates to automatic valves of the type commonly used at the outlet end of a steam radiator to automatically control the discharge of water from the radiator.

Such valves usually include an expansible container or bellows in which a quantity of volatile fluid, such as alcohol, is sealed. This container commonly is known in the trade as a diaphragm, and it operates to close the valve automatically when steam flows therethrough and subsequently to open the valve automatically after water of condensation has accumulated around it, thus releasing the water and allowing an additional quantity of steam to flow into the radiator. It is a very common occurrence for valves of this type to fail or become inoperative due to the diaphragm or container becoming punctured and permitting the escape of the volatile fluid on which it depends for operation. It is the chief object of the present invention, therefore, to improve both the organization of valves of this type and also the construction of the expansible containers used in them, with a View to improving the reliability of these devices. The invention also aims to reduce the manufacturing expense of do vices of this character.

It has been the us al practice heretofore to perforate the end disk of a bellows or diaphragm in order to secure it to the parts which either support it or are moved by it, and failure of these devices is due largely to the manner in which the parts immediately associated with the diaphragm are connected to it. it is an important object of this in vention, therefore, to devise a connection between the bellows and the parts secured thereto which will overcome the objection just described. The nature of the invention will be readily understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the ap pended claim.

Referring now to the drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an automatic water relief valve constructed in accordance with this invention and Fig. 2 is a central, vertical, cross-sectional view of the valve shown in Fig. 1.

The valve shown comprises a casing 2 provided with inlet and outlet openings 3 and 4,

respectively, The casing also has a valve seat 5 to cooperate with the valve plunger 6 which controls the flow of water or other fluid through the casing. A cap 7 is threaded into the upper end of the casing and closes this end of the casing.

Depending centrally from the lower side of thecap 7 is a threaded stud 8 to which is secured an eXpansible container of the general type commonly known as a single diaphragm. This diaphragm is designatedin general at 9, and itc-ontains a quantity of some suitable volatile liquid, such as alcohol. Mounted immediately below this diaphragm or container is another diaphragm lO exactly like the diaphragm 9, and the plunger 6 of the valve is secured to the lower diaphragm. These two diaphragms or expansible containers are entirely independent of each.

other and normally they cooperate to move the valve 6 into and out of engagement with its seat 5,

Assuming that this device is mounted at the discharge end of a steam radiator, the diz-iph-ragms 9 and 10 will hold the valve plunger 6 in its open position when the steam is first turned on to the radiator. As soon, however, as the steam is flowing freely through the radiatorand passes through the casing 2, itwill expand or vaporize the liquid in the diaphragms thus causing themto expand and seat the plunger 6. The water of condensation collects in the radiatorand partially fills the casing 2, gradually cooling the volatile fluid in the diaphragms, thus causing them to contract and unseat the plunger 6 sufliciently to permit the escape of the water and therefore allowing an addi tional quantity of steam to flow into the radiator.

Attention is particularly directed to the fact that in this valve there are two expansible containers or diaphragms 9 and 10 arranged in tandem. and that each diaphragm is entirely independent of the other. The diaphragms are of such size that either one is capable of operating the plunger 6. Either diaphragm may become inoperative, therefore, due to leakage, or for any other reason, without rendering the Valve organization as a whole inoperative. In other words, the remaining diaphragm will operate the valve plunger, notwithstanding the fact that its companion diaphragm is out of commission. This construction, therefore, is far more reliable than those which have been used heretofore.

The present invention also involves a novel construction of diaphragm or expansible container. Referring to Fig. 2 it will be observed that the diaphragm 9 comprises an upper disk 12 and a lower disk 13. The marginal edges of these disks are flanged, and the two flanges are folded together, the joint thus formed preferably being soldered to avoid any possibility of leakage. There is no relative movement between the parts which are soldered together so that there is no tendency to disturb this soldered joint. The central portion of the disk 12 is solid or imperforate, and it is secured to a stud or button having a head 1d of approximately conical shape Which abuts against the face of the disk, and an internally threaded shank 15 that is screwed on to the stud 8. The upper surface of the head 1ft is tapered, as clearly illustrated, and this head is surrounded by an annular flange 16 formed in the disk 12 and crimped over the head 14-. The stud or button thus is embraced by the flange and is mechanically interlocked with the disk 13 without perforating the disk or destroying its continuity. Preferably a. drop of solder is applied to the joint between the flange 16 and head 14: to hold these parts against any relative turning movement. The flange 16 may be formed by the punch and die process, as

will be readily understood by those skilled in the sheet metal working. Between the flange 16 and the outer margin the disk is ribbed radially, as clearly shown in the drawings, this construction having the advantage of confining the flexing action chief ly to the portions of the disk at opposite sides of the ribbed section which produces a stronger return or collapsing movement after the diaphragm has been expanded.

The lower disk 13 is similarly secured to the stud or button 17 and the disks of the lower diaphragm 10 are secured in the same manner to studs or buttons 19 and 20, respectively, which are duplicates of the parts 14. and 17. It will also be understood thatessentially the same arrangement may be used to secure the end disks of a multiple diaphragm or bellows to the parts which cooperatetherewith, the same end piece con struction being applicable to either style of diaphragm.

The volatile liquid may be introduced into the diaphragm through a hole formed inthe marginal portion thereof, but it is usually preferable from a manufacturing standpoint to introduce this liquid through a small hole 22 formed centrally in the lower disk 13 in line with the hole in the stud 17. The air should be exhausted from the diaphragm prior to the introduction of the liquid, and when this operation has been completed the hole in the stud is closed by means of a tapered plug 23. The surfaces at the outer end of this plug may then be sealed by means of solder and the joint between the flange 18 and the stud or button 17 should be completely sealed with solder or in some equivalent manner. Such sealing obviously is not required, however, if the filling hole is located in the margin of the diaphragm or at some other point outside of the flange 18.

It will now be appreciated that this invention produces a very substantial improvement in the end piece construction of a bellows or diaphragm. While it may be preferable to perforate one of the end disks for convenience in filling, such a perforation is made at a point where the diaphragm is not flexed, as will be obvious from an inspection of the drawings. Furthermore, any necessity for perforating the disk for the purpose of securing it to the button is avoided, and so far as these requirements are concerned, the end disk may be solid. The present construction avoids the use of a soldered joint at any point where the disk may be flexed.

lVhile We have herein shown and described the best embodiment of our invention that we have so far devised, it will be appreciated that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to claim as new is:

In a thermostatic valve, the combination of an expansible metal container for volatile fluids comprising a. flexible metal disk, a stud having a head of approximately conical form bearing against the central portion of said disk, said disk having an annular flange folded over and pressed against the tapered surface of said head and being radially ribbed between said flange and its margin, and a second metal disk cooperating with the first disk. the outer margins of both disks being folded together. 7

In testimony whereof we have hereunto signed our names to this specification lVILLIAM D. CAST-TIN. MAX P. MILLER. 

